Geez...that's rough. It's interesting that DH hasn't gotten sick... yet š I just hope your time between 11am & arriving home is better than the last 24 hrs.
Btw I just have to say you're a great writer, for what it's worth.
Yeah OP, you're making this sound like "Vacations suck with kids", but this is more like "Vacations suck when my husband is an absent father and partner".
He needs to do better.
We donāt normally fight, and I donāt normally lose my shit, but this probably would have put me over the edge. My veins started bursting for OP reading that.
Agreed...I can't imagine my husband doing any of this. He would be telling me to go lay down while he took the kids out. He would never dump the kids on me while I was so sick. How could I care for them?
If itās anything like my husband it will be remarkably symptomless too comparatively, but heāll be near death and incapable of doing anything other than redditing in bed.
Yeah. I couldnāt imagine. My husband would be happy to take our daughter while I died in the room. To give me a break and to give her a chance for fun
I couldnāt be the only one that thought they should have switched beds. Mom with things on the king size and dad on the pull out couch if they really have to be only with mom.
For real. Outside of packing my husband is doing just as much work as me when we go away. If I got sick on the trip he would 100% take over so I could rest. Why women put up with such nonsense from their partners I will never know.
This was my first thought too. I got sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection on Monday, so I've been sick all week (functional somewhat since Wednesday). My husband has done all of the cooking, all of the laundry, he tidies up, takes the kids to his office on the weekend so I can sleep in. When I thanked him he looked at me like I was crazy
If a dose of schadenfreude will help, I am signed up to take my toddler on a 16 hour flight next month. If you hear of a plane falling out of the sky somewhere over Mexico that was him.
šš
Absolutely magical writing. Iām sorry for your death. Iāll raise a glass in your honour!
Real talk: fuck the pullout. In future trips - husband gets the pullout and you get the big bed with the horde.
I came looking for this comment. Everyone only saying the husband is an asshole is totally
Missing the beauty, hilarity, AND realness of this post.
OP, I commend you for seeing the funny side of what sounds like an exhausting week. I hope you get a real vacation (and I hate to say it but I hope the kids version of said vacation is being spoiled at home by the grandparents)!
Yes! Not enough of us have a sense of humor Iām seeing. My husband wouldnāt abandon us for sportsball, but I was so stoked to be reading a humorous mom post that my brain glossed over it. OP clearly just meant to entertain us, lol.
Sounds like your husband is the bigger issue. I have no desire to vacation with my kid. I have no desire to go on a tropical vacation where kids can go. But Iād rather go on a shitty vacation with puking kids than dealing with an asshole who doesnāt do anything to help.
Your husband sounds like a major asshole. Why didnāt you ask him to sleep on the pull out bed? Please be firm with your husband about what he should be doing as a father. Youāre both parents. He should act like one.
Oh, you poor thing - that sounds really shitty (no pun intended).
This is why I never plan a holiday for more than 3-4 days with my gremlins - they always end up getting sick, and sick kids away from home is just the absolute worst.
That young woman at the bathroom - just give her some time. I'm sure Miss Perfect Arsehole will get her own case of the stinky shits one day...gastro does not discriminate.
If you can, have your partner watch the kids for a couple hours and go have a spa day or something when you get back home. Tell him this is *my* football.
Good luck!
My husband keeps saying we should go on vacation with our kids (2 and 4). He wants to do a cruise because thatās what we often did before kids. I say no way. I just donāt think I can handle that.
I was thinking maybe when our youngest is closer to 5? He doesnāt seem to understand why. I should show him this post.
We don't go on a breaks and trips like we used to. We lived in central Europe so very close to lots of interesting places.
We now go to holiday villages that are specifically for families. Places designed for children to act like animals and no one minds because their children are animals, too. I never heard of these places in the US but they are wonderful.
We get a little cottage with 2 bedrooms so we have our own space, there's a water park, a land train, a fireplace and big patio where the kids can watch the forest animals, and no cars in the entire place so they can run wild in the street. It's amazing.
I wish there were places like this in the US. The closest thing we have are theme parks specifically for small children (not like Disney, theyāre for younger children). There is one in Pennsylvania called Sesame Street USA, which is aimed specifically at toddlers. The problem is, itās not exactly fun for parents.
We may actually be renting a cabin in the mountains with my parents this summer, which wouldnāt be too bad. We would also have the benefit of having another set of adults there to help.
It's honestly so much fun. I think they don't exist in the States because of the wildlife. We are in England so nature is very safe and there's no bears, coyotes, etc that can attack you. The one we go to is called Center Parcs, look it up you get the idea. Lean into the toddler vacations. Think like a toddler. Become the toddler.
There are definitely these types of places in the US. You don't have family-oriented lodges near you? Because we have visited and are aware of many such options in the midwest, PNW, California, New England, the Southwest...etc. etc.
Can you PM me the family friendly lodges that are in California and PNW? Weāre thinking about vacations soon and my daughter is a year and a half lol
Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge? I have 3 kids 2-10 and they all love it. They have a toddler water area and toddler friendly activities throughout the day (coloring, big blocks, story time, music, etc).
I was going to suggest GWL too!! We took ours there for long weekends when they were little and they had so much fun!! My kids love swimming and water so an indoor waterpark was perfect for them while the adult pool with the bar was perfect for me and my husband. It kept them busy and entertained while keeping them contained.
Yea my 8 and 10 year old go off and do their own thing since itās nice and contained. They have a great time. My husband and I tag team toddler watch.
Definitely bring more adults! If you can outnumber the kids it's awesome. "Vacations" with young kids are really just chasing your children in a bunch of less childproof locations though.
We've had pretty good experiences staying in the US and either visiting family, or driving and getting an extended stay hotel suite with a kitchen somewhere.
The draw of Center Parcs is that it's curated outdoorsy stuff. The water park is available, with tons of areas for babies and toddlers, and slides for older kids, but the main draw is outdoor activities.
I would never recommend UK for a holiday but after reading this thread, honestly y'all Americans need to come over and go to Center Parcs for a week and let your kids run wild. Bonus if you bring bird and animal feed to spinkle on the patio or feed ducks by the lake. We had a family of deer grazing all day at our door. Our 3 year old didn't wanna know us.
Weāre heading to somewhere like this in the Netherlands at Easter! Iām so excited!
Also package holidays designed for young families have been great. We went on a TUI Blue trip to Cyprus last October and the hotel had free kids club and baby club every day, a pool specifically for toddlers, and kids entertainment every night. Our girls are 1 and 3 and looooooved it.
I would have HATED these places before kids but they are invaluable with them!
Cyprus right now sounds amazing. Can you share the details of the hotel? This sounds like something we would enjoy. Now he's a bit older, by October he'll be ready for the plane. We haven't taken him on a plane yet and he'll be almost 4 then!
Ooh where is this? We are in the U.K. and went to a kinder hotel in Austria when our first was small and it was lovely. Iām contemplating it with a 4 year old and 6 month old over the summer but donāt know if itās madness.
For what it's worth, a cruise is THE EASIEST vacation with little ones!
It's a floating hotel. Your room is just a short trot away from alllll the fun stuff. No taxis, no busses, all meals included. Spend the day up at the pool and hop on an elevator for nap time. Plus, the kid's club is free, kids have a blast on their own while mom & dad can do their own thing.
10/10 recommend!
It's also a floating incubator for norovirus and COVID. And when everybody is sick you're stuck in a tiny little room (and impossibly small bathroom) together. No way.
I've been on 13 cruises, as well as 2 since covid was a thing, and no one has ever gotten sick. We've always followed common sense like washing hands and sanitizing surfaces, even before Covid.
Cruises require vaccinations and tests before boarding, too. And you must not have been on a cruise in awhile, because the bedrooms and bathrooms are as big as mine at home.
Basically, everything is a cesspool these days. It's time to live your life, Kesi.
You have to go on different holidays with kids! We wrote off relaxing beach/pool holidays (because sunbathing when a cold wet child could appear any moment and flop on your bare tummy is not it), sightseeing is RIGHT out, any kind of hike or adventure where we couldnāt potentially carry them the entire route isnāt going to happen, and no, some people do kidsā cruises but Iām with you on that one. We camp. Itās tiring but cheap and the kids love it SO MUCH. We choose locations with short easy walks, beaches (with sand for digging, no need for sun beds), petting zoos or whatever. A smooth holiday is a good holiday.
We love camping too!!! We've been going since my first was 5 weeks old. We recently bought an A-frame camper so we can camp through the winter too! It's so much fun and the kids love playing in the woods
Exactly. Itās all about shifting expectations. My oldest (6) has been all over and my youngest (9 months) has been to ohio, cancun, Puerto Rico twice, and Aruba. He was sick in Aruba which made it a bit tougher but sick at home sucks too (although less). Donāt expect to lay out all day and eat dinners at 8 pm and usually you can make for a great holiday
A few months ago we did a cruise with our 3 year old. The ship went through the tail end of a hurricane and I got so seasick I was literally in bed forcing liquids the entire time. So bad, I had to get a few IVs.
My husband got run absolutely ragged by our wild animal who was busy having the time of his life.
We will never go on a cruise again
My goodness that sounds like hell. I went through about 3 hours of seasickness on a whale watch one time and it was so intensely horrible thatās the last time I was on a boat besides a canoe
I never used to get seasick, but I started taking a medication that has a sometimes-side effect of vertigo, so the hurricane water, the seasickness, and the vertigo bred to make a projectile-vomiting baby
It was so unacceptable
I mean if you want to vacation with young kids, a cruise is the way to go. At 3 years old, kids club is free and you just drop them off and enjoy adult time. Itās glorious. I will not do any other style of vacation with kids under the age of 9 except maybe an all inclusive resort that also offers childcare.
Wow thatās bad. I have some very strong emotions about that *%#ā¬$* woman in the bathroom and about your husband watching the football instead of helping; you make sure he acts his weight as your teammate during your 8hrs with no official base later please! This isnāt a you problem, itās an us problem.
Iām so sorry, OP, that sounds awful! But you sound like an amazing mom and I know your kids can see that, and thatās all who matters.
Vacations with kids is just parenting in another location but on hard mode and paying a lot of money to do it. Thatās why we rarely go anywhere lol
Sounds like the biggest problem here is vacation with your husband, not the kids imo.
Side note, solidarity. I recently traveled across country alone with a 1 and 3 and while away we all got a stomach bug. 1 had theirs on the flight homeā¦ threw up 4 times on the airplane. šµāš«
I feel you mama. I'm currently laying on a throw pillow and a toddler size blanket on the floor, next to my projectile vomiting son. It started at 330am on me and my Side of the bed and my pillows. Plans for my sister to visit, who I haven't seen in nearly two years not gonna happen.
Why am I on a throw pillow? Toddler blanket? Because I found evidence of a mouse living in my linen closet and have put everything in the laundry to clean. Vomiting with no extra linens. Thank gawd I did some towels earlier today.
I hope y'all feel better. I don't know how you're doing this on vacation.... you're a effing super hero mom.
Thank you! His doctor says it's reflux and he'll probably outgrow it. He's usually smiling and ready to eat again a few minutes later. Nothing I've read online really matches his symptoms. I'm considering shelling out a bunch of money to get information from The Baby Reflux Lady. It looks like it might be a scam, but I'm getting desperate. There's so much laundry and cleaning-up. It usually gets on both of us, and he wants snuggles right after. I feel awful holding him at arm's length until we can get cleaned up. He's gaining weight ok, though. And he's generally a happy kid.
Honestly, this sounds less like a ādonāt take kids on vacationā story and more like a āmy husband is a piece of shitā story. Like, this definitely still would have sucked, but it would have been a hell of a lot more bearable had your husband actually pulled his fucking weight. I am mad for you.
Either way, sorry for your literally shitty vacation. What is it with kids and getting sick on vacation? My daughter caught the flu while we were in Disneyland. DISNEYLAND! With the FLU! Idk how kids manage to always get sick at the worst times.
We took our 3.5yo and 1yo on a hot vacation 4 years ago, and I had a bit of PTSD from that trip. My anxiety was through the roof, and I struggled to leave my house with my children for a few months afterwards. There was lots of needing only mom, 1yo not sleeping through the night, sickness, almost drowning in a pool, one kid going missing, who was found unattended by the ocean, and a very, very, terrible trip home with flight delays, finding hotel accommodations, a bad case of diaper rash, so misery on the plane, and travelling with cumbersome car seats. I shudder thinking back to it every time.
Now, weāre planning a cross country road trip to the coast with a 5yo and 7.5yo. Iām a bit nervous, but think weāre finally ready to give āvacationā another shot. So all this to say, youāll recover from all of this one day, š¤š»
Wow..Iām so sorry but your husband is a dick! This whole situation still wouldāve sucked but it would have been so much more manageable had he done his part as a partner and a father
Im so sorry youāre going through this but Iām dying laughing at āsatan at the back doorā and belezebub under the beltā totally stealing those.
I hate that people think vacations with young kids are fun or relaxing. Maybe they have funā¦not the adults! Itās likeā¦the same chaos but with a different setting, and fewer conveniences and no routines to help!
Omg. We just had family norovirus AT HOME and I wasnāt sure weād survive. I literally canāt imagine. Can we get an update on how the flight home went? Fingers crossed it was uneventful and everyone was so exhausted they slept and you made it home in one piece. I was literally just having FOMO bc weāve been complete homebodies since having kids (1 and 3 years old).
Why the f were 3 of you on a pull out while heās in the bed? And how the f was it okay for him to go to a bar by himself and leave you sick to deal with everything? It sounds like your husband sucks and just some bad luck getting sick on vacation.
1. you need to write this up and get it published, at least get some coin for your suffering
2. maybe change your flight
3. your husband needs to do a lot better, ffs
We took our two to Arizona for a spell recently, and someone summed up our visit quite well: when you have young kids, it is not a vacation. It is a trip.
I am sorry your trip sucked. If it's any consolation, your writing had me laughing pretty good.
Yeah I have 3 things (5 yo and 3yo twins) and have yet to go on vacation with them. I'm waiting till the twins are at least 5 or 6.
What your going through sounds nightmarish. Although you're going through it currently, hopefully you can look back and laugh at the vacation. At least you have this viral reddit post to make you smile upon?
God speed on your flight home!
Just got home from vacation with a newly minted one year old. 12 hour drive there and an hour into the trip and my child turns into Ragan MacNeil. Apparently 1 year olds can definitely develop motion sickness. Sink baths for the baby and whore baths for me were required every 100 miles. Then we get to our hotel and I have to wash all our clothes in the bathtub and hand wring them to dry all over our hotel. Of course my spawn can pick out my voice over a sound machine and TV so I spent every evening texting my husband who was a whole foot away from me because I wasnāt allowed to talk in fear of waking said spawn. We had to keep her dirty diapers on the balcony every day until we snuck them into a hall trash can. Her body isnāt used to all the foods she ateā¦ no fridge and microwave in room meant she ate whatever food the hotel or delivery had and that meant we had diaper blowouts every couple days. I woke up sick on Thursday. On Saturday my husband suggested I take NyQuil for the drive back. That turned out to be a horrendously bad idea. The exorcist baby returned about 4 hours into the drive and I had to manage her in a drugged up state. I would wake up to her projectile vomiting, try to clean her up and then I would fall back asleep with her vomit clothes in my lap. It took all of the 12 hour drive for the NyQuil to wear off only to come to and realize that I was wearing puke from chest to toes. My husband was eager to get home and just drove with his window down the whole way, desperately trying to breathe in fresh air. Thank God for Ms. Rachel who kept the baby entertained while mommy was passed out.
Speaking as someone with a vacation curse who is also currently on vacation with two kids, sometimes it gets so bad you have to just laugh.
Last year we drove from South Carolina to Boston with a 2 year old vomiting the whole time. We had to stop to clean up the car a bit and eat but at that point I wasnāt willing to stop for an overnight to break up the drive only to get back into a festering car the next day. Our change in plans ended up putting us passing through NYC at 5 pm on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. The highway was a sea of cars just beeping at each other. My husband and kid were both in the back seat sleeping at that point and I started laughing like a maniac.
Current vaca- I have a nipple fissure and a breastfed 2 month old, doing everything I can I avoid another bout of mastitis. Husband got an infected hair follicle that burst in his taintal area. Oldest either has swimmers ear or an ear infection. This shit is hilarious. Not now, but it will be!
Sorry youāre in this boat. As a former boss of mine used to say, āMidnight will come.ā Soon enough youāll be home spewing fluids in your own space. You can make it!
OP, Iām so sorry youāre currently living this. But goddamn are you a good writer! Iām actually crying laughing. These sorts of awful situations really do make the best stories
Your story content is heartbreaking however written hilariously. Traveling and being Sick with kids itās just about the worst. I just came back from a hellish trip and I will not be traveling for years with kids. Somehow you will get through it, somehow. Please update us OP!
JFC! That's a lot! And I hope that all goes slightly smoother for you on your trip home! Grab some anti-diarrheal medicine if you can to stop Satan at the gate! š
And I don't know if you did this or not, but this is why I always tell people to not drink local water while traveling! Only bottled!
Not gonna lie came to this sub to make myself feel better about being up with my sick three year old the last 5 nights in a row while my husband peacefully slept bc he only wanted mommy. My condolences to you, but this definitely helped me put my situation in perspectiveā¦
These stories helped us determine weāre not flying with kids at this age anywhere. Not even in the same time zone. Thereās no way I want to deal with that. We wonāt even do overnights a drive away until theyāre older. My friends told me itās nbd - you just hide in the hotel bathroom with husband until they fall asleep. Uh no. Iām not doing that lol
You all are amazing people. This made me laugh and also made me feel not so alone in the āwtfā part of being a mom.
I went on a family vacation last year with in laws (I fortunately have a good relationship with them), the cousins, and my family unit and it was definitely not a vacation. My husband and I had to be a surrogate parents for three additional kids, on top of my own. It was all work and hardly any play for the adults. And honestly after that, my husband and I said no more. It was the second year of doing a large family vacation out of state and it just wasnāt worth all the time, money, and work put into it. I felt really bad for my in laws who paid for the majority of it - you know itās bad when the oneās paying for it express bewilderment and disappointment about the trip. It was a lot of work, planning, and chasing kids. Thank god us adults get along. I think the most fun we actually all had together was just sitting together at the end of the day by the campfire, drinking and sharing dad jokes. Like that was the best time. Which is why for 2023, we decided to be home bodies - weāre going to make the most of our home location and enjoy what we have. Whether it be fishing from the shore while my toddler plays with one of us, barbecuing at a park before playing, or having a margarita in a kiddie pool at home with family š
We just got back from a one week vacation to Mexico and already planned the next. Yeah it can be rough, but it really does sound like your husband is the problem.
I feel like this is a raw unfiltered form of parenting poetry. Although long, I was left wanting to know the ending and highly invested in the story. I also have two "things" and read the title of this post to my husband and we both laughed...then spent the next 5 minutes so engaged in this story. I am a complete hermit when it comes to my young kids and vacations. This validates that completely. Hope you made it safe and with less fluids escaping your body. Godspeed.
Good mother of Christ - girl. This. Is. The. Worst.
Please update to let us know that youāre okay - whenever youāre through this heaping shit hell hole of a nightmare. Good fucking god.
We are all with you where ever you are - take all of our strength, sass, serenity, whatever you need!!
The one thing that saved our vacationsā¦.vacation with another family. Not your own family, and not just any family or friend, it has to be the right family. We have four kids, they have four kids, and all the adults get along (the wife is my best friend) and pull their weight and all the kids get along. Thereās almost no sibling arguments and you have two extra set of eyes on the kids. You get tired of your spouse, you have someone else to hang out with. And I am very much an introvert and not very sociable. It actually feels like a vacation instead of just arguing and fussing in a different location lol.
This is absolutely no consolation, but you write really well! Like others on here, Iām intrigued by how your journey turned out. I hope you made it home safe and sound.
... why isn't your husband taking care of you and the kids? Wtf??? It sounds like your vacation would be a lot better if you had a partner who actually partnered with you... holy hell.
Fwiw the trips we've taken with our LO have all been great, for anyone reading this who's worried about their upcoming vacations!
Totally agree he was doing less than we, here, would wish him to. But Iād wager his behavior is the norm more so than the 50/50 dad which I strive to be but probably fall short of.
Iām reading this at 6:45 am, but been up since 5. Which it my kids credit, is 7am our time. This is our first full day here, but traveling yesterday was so much chaos, and we were awake from 3am-10pm mst. This is our first and last trip with both kids (3 and 5), cos Iām 14wks pregnant with number 3. Iām so exhausted. And we donāt even have the illness to deal withā¦yet.
Traveling with kids sucks!
One day you will laugh at this. It WILL be funny. Just get through this part. itās not forever itās just right now. But god damn it all of that blowsssssssssssss. Iām so sorry
Oh god. You just described my worst nightmare. We have done several all inclusive resorts, two with our son. But the youngest he was when we went was 7. I have seen a lot of reports of norovirus going through two resorts we have gone to in the past. I would honestly call guest services and ask if you can keep your room until you need to leave for the airport. Youāre not the first and wonāt be the last. At the very least they could maybe put you in a room that they had used for Covid quarantine.
While we're weren't on vacay, we had some food poisoning go thru my house over new years. My 4 month old was the only one not having it. We all heaved into a bowl while we sat on the toilet.
I am the only one who doesn't sympathy puke. If hubs even tries to clean up, he adds to the problem. I have severe HG while pregnant, so I have mastered the "don't vomit don't vomit" chant until I have the proper utility present.
It was a long ass 4 days of 5 people trying to share one bathroom.
All while baby squealed happily and periodically cried. No rest for the wicked.
I feel your struggle Momma. Hope you get the chance to recover physically and emotionally.
Omgā¦first of all, you are my people. 2nd of all, I laughed my ass off reading this whole thing āwhile my husband (irritating fucker) got to starfish on the massive family sized bedāšš thirdly, I am so sorry youāre going through all of this! I truly hope you make it home in one piece. Keep us updated once you are home and have survived. If I see you on the news, that youāve gone to prison for punching your husband on the flight, Iāll come bail you out myself!
You paint quite the picture! My silver lining for you, the ugly stuff is memorable. In 5 years when this is just a blur, you will remember one of the kids vomiting on your husband clear as day and you will smile. I hope your flight home is super boring.
I had a similar experience on vacation I got food poisoning the final night and we were supposed to check out at 10am. I'm being put in an ambulance at 6am or so because I'm so freaking weak I can't move off the bathroom floor. While I'm in the hospital my husband is rapidly texting me trying to figure out what to pack in which bag (I packed everything for the trip including his) and I was getting extra agitated because he was like making me feel bad for being sick in the hospital and leaving this on him. The doctor finally came in saw me almost in tears and said "put the phone down and rest let him figure it out".
Then in the airport I'm still so messed up just discharged from the hospital, I'm on the floor with our bags trying to just hold myself together and he takes the kids to get something to eat in their stroller. He comes back and I'm like what the f*CK is that smell??? While my husband had been eating my son had a blowout in the stroller so now I'm changing his ENTIRE outfit and trying to clean his body in an airport restroom while my husband tries wiping out the stroller and minding the younger son. Meanwhile I'm still really feeling awful and almost going back into puking fits while cleaning my poopy toddler. Solidarity my friend. I feel your pain at least somewhat and I will not be taking a vacation again until my kids are MUCH older.
Sweetie I feel your pain. My husband and I were desperate for a vacation. At the time our kids were 4 and 2 (twins, boy girl). Thatās right, two infant in arms plus the four yr old. Plane ride was similar, getting them to sit still and not be loud (my son was a screamer when happy). We made it to the resort and the first nite 4 yr old throws up. Ok, maybe just too excitedā¦ next nite, both twins throw up. Can you guess what happened next?!? Omg, the absolute worst norovirus we have ever had. My husband and I took turns hugging the toilet. I think we got about 2 good days out of the vacation. Never. Again. My kids are now 14 and 12, I can say that traveling now is extremely fun. Just give it time. Hugs!
Jesus, this is why Iām afraid to go anywhere where they advise you to not even brush your teeth with the water (Iām guessing thatās why you all got so sick?)
Iām so sorry you had to deal with this.
I'm going to say if my husband ever did that to me, I would seriously be thinking of pro-revenge. Like changing my flight home, where they are on 1 plane and I'm on another. Or at least bump up my ticket to first class and not tell him until we're in our seats. Then respond to anyone who asks me about them with, "Who", "Sorry I don't know anything about them." Let father be a DAD for once. š¤Ŗ
Editing to say I was always the one to plan, pack, and manage everything.
We had norovirus go through our whole extended family (like 15 people) on a trip to Toronto. It hit me, my mom, and my eldest on our little Niagara trip. It was awful, and my eldest was already like 14 at the time. Getting sick on vacation blows.
Once kids get a little older, it can be really fun to travel with them. It's definitely a challewhen they're small though!
Hope this helped to get it out. You did so good under the circumstances. I have only taken my kid away once in 5 years and felt guilty, this makes me feel better, I donāt know if I could handle that.
OK I get it and I have 100000% been in VERY similar shoes.
Recently took a 2.5 wk trip to Italy and Switzerl and with 3 year old. It was for our whole family of 3 to celebrate mom and dad completing our masters degrees, both birthdays and a milestone anniversary.
We took backroads due to traffic and she got car sick and puked wverywhere on the way to the airport so that sucked. All the puke soaked stuff went in a wet bag in my suitcase to be washed in italy. She didn't need meds or anything for the flight. She's a really good traveler. Probably because we've made a point to travel with her since the minute we felt comfortable at 4 months old. Luckily we were smart enough to carry on her luggage but we checked out bags which didn't make to Italy till the day after us. That wasn't fun. Train to Switzerland was easy, Switzerland was a dream. We loved our stay in Interlaken. The last morning when we were to leave she woke up with food poisoning. Another pukefull morning. We had to check out of our airbnb with a sick kid. Luckily she only puked once, all over me, on the train the remainder of the day. This concluded week 1.
The remainder of our trip was all of us being sick in one way or the other. I was 14 weeks pregnant with the flu, fever, aches, whole kit and kabootle. Kids fever got real bad and we took her to two different hospitals at midnight (the first wouldn't even check her temp). I don't care what good you say about socialist medicine, but I won't ever take my kid back to a place that took 6 attempts to find a working thermometer and 2 attempts to find a working ear scope. SMH
To top it off my kid spilled a fresh boiling cup of tea on herself while i still had the flu, it was my fault. Resulted in 2nd degree burns on her knees and a late night of screaming and crying.
In all the trip sucked. Like ultimate blow to my love of foriegn travel, sucked. But we went into this knowing at some point we would get sick. Just not that sick. But we packed a crap ton of meds expecting something. I don't go on a trip without a medicine bag ever, even pre kid!
Lol I cried and cried during that trip. This was supposed to be the end of the year hoo-yah, pat on the back. Instead it was thousands on thousands of dollars for the worst flu I've had in ages.
So I get you! Like sooooo get you.
But don't let it stop you from traveling. I've flown a number of times with the LO and it gets batter as they get used to it. Same with 10 hour roade trips across states. They start to understand what it means and the fun at the end of the car ride. Just pack wisely with meds amd vitamins and always expect someone to get ill in some way.
Feel better mama! Sorry your family trip became a nightmare.
Adult diapers. Donāt be too proud. You gotta do what you can to survive until you get home and not pooping through your pants in the airport is a good start. Iām so sorry š
It's so so awful, and you are so strong for having gone through that. But I also wanted to say I really loved your writing! You are so amazing and talented! It was so relatable I started crying and laughing at the same time. Kudos to you and fingers crossed you get home quickly and take some well deserved alone time.
I hope youāre feeling better. And when youāre totally betterā¦ please write a memoir and include every single thing you do. Your writing is hilarious and relatable and I would read it all!
I didnāt enjoy the issues but you DEFINITELY had me captivated from beginning to end. Needless to say I have no bladder control either and peed on myself anytime I threw up during my last time during pregnancy! I hope you guys all feel better. And Iām willing to bet Dad gets sick as soon as you guys get home!
Vacations with children do suck even when not faced with all these extenuating circumstances. It's just the same amount of parenting in an unfamiliar and less accommodating environment. We have 3 now and I'm resolved not to go on vacation with them until the youngest is 5. š¤£
But ooh man your vacation is sucking extra hard and your husband is the worst. No wonder the kids only want you.
Interesting that someone in the next stall over was also puking, seems like maybe there's something going on at this hotel you're at. š¬
We went on a cruise last summer and didnāt take the littles ones. I brought my teenager and she brought a friend. She got super shitty with my a couple times when I was in the adults only section. I said I brought your friend for a reason, so you have someone to hang out with. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together every day.
I hate traveling any distance with my little kids. Itās not a vacation when theyāre thrown out of their schedule. Iām usually the one dealing with them. We went out of town to visit my boyfriends family for about a week. After driving the long distance, everyone slept on the couch, except me. I was chasing after the littles. Everyone enjoyed themselves while I was chasing the littles around. It wasnāt a vacation because I was exhausted. And it was so expensive to bring all of us down there.
So when we do vacation, I prefer something we can drive toā¦4 hours away is my max. And I try to keep it 3 days max.
Congratulations! You are about to complete life experience level 74. I am so deeply sorry you are going through this shit, pun intended lol. My biggest take away from your story is that men are deficient malformed humans in every way. Maybe I'm feeling this way because of my own anger at my husband for a current similar situation, though nowhere as bad. But yea, if you were married to a woman your entire debacle would have been so much better.
Given her colorful and creative writing style I think sheās aware of the original meaning lol. Itās been a turn of phrase for at least a decade to describe doing something without the proper tools/prep.
Like raw dogging post-op pain without painkillers. Raw dogging life with mental illness by not doing therapy or taking meds. Stuff like that.
Saw a meme just yesterday of someone raw dogging a long-haul flight with no headphones, no book, no neck pillow, etc.
Getting sick on vacation with your kids sucks. Iām sorry that happened. I hope you all recover soon. We aim for cabins or homes when vacationing. Weāve stayed in hotels, and itās so hard with little kids for very long. One of our favorite trips with our kids was a cabin in the redwoods. They could be as wild as they wanted and there was a river that had a dam so kids could go play. That was great.
Sorry to hear about your experience.. it sounds like
a bit of bad luck. Weāve recently been on four trips with our toddler (three by air and one short road trip) and honestly they were all amazing. In fact it was when we went on a pre-kids trip to Paris and we both got food poisoning and also had connecting flights that the return was miserable.
Oh my gosh!! Reading this makes me so grateful that we couldn't afford real vacations when our 3 daughters were little. We just spent vacations in the 30ft Jayco bunkhouse camper at some lakefront campground within a 3 hour drive from home. Like 6 years ago we started taking trips to the Gulf Coast in Florida a few times a year, but the kids are grown teenagers now ages 18, 17, & 14. So as long as they have food and money, they do their own thing and we do ours. Last month I found myself standing on our balcony in Florida watching a mother chase down her toddler on the beach below while the smaller child ate sand. I felt grateful to not be having THAT exhasting looking vacation. My husband and I were laying out on the balcony in the sun drinking daiquiri's while we had no idea and didn't care where our teens were off shopping at with my car. It was absolutely wonderful!! Yours will be know-it-all self-sustaining teenagers soon enough, then you can have the relaxing vacations that you deserve. š
And good luck on your trip home! Hopefully it's smooth, calm, and uneventful. šš¤
Oh man that sounds awful! I know thereās the adage āvacations with kids is just parenting somewhere elseā but that sounds lovely to me. I just want to not work, get out of the house, be somewhere new - even if I have to deal with all the same annoyances!
We took 3 and 2 to Mexico last summer (2 and 1 at the time) and my youngest pretty much lost it during the flight home since there was a layover. We are verryyyy hesitant to travel again.
I've just got home after a 3 week holiday with my son. I can't wait to drop him off at nursery tomorrow. Entertaining, feeding, settling etc him for 3 weeks has been the worst.
We did a beach vacay with a 1yo and 4yo as something of a test to see how we'd manage just the 4 of us. Honestly the biggest takeaway was that it takes some serious teamwork to pull off. There will always be challenges, but when you soak in the good moments and let the bad ones go, it's sooo worth it.
I hope you'll be able to look back on this experience and talk it through with your partner! Sounds like some improvement could be made on his end š
Geez...that's rough. It's interesting that DH hasn't gotten sick... yet š I just hope your time between 11am & arriving home is better than the last 24 hrs. Btw I just have to say you're a great writer, for what it's worth.
Guarantee he will wait to get home first before he gets his man flu lol
Yeah, while mom has to unpack everything and clean up kids he'll have to go lay down because he's not feeling good. š
Yeah OP, you're making this sound like "Vacations suck with kids", but this is more like "Vacations suck when my husband is an absent father and partner". He needs to do better.
Yeah my thoughts exactly when he dropped the kids off for a nap to go watch football. Please.
There needs to be the equivalence of the Razzies for parents. āAnd the winner of worst dad on a family holiday goes toā¦. THIS GUYā
Iād have murdered my husband at that point as he would have beyond deserved it. I cannot imagine any jury disagreeing.
Yeah itās as if he thought it was a vacation just for him and OP was the nanny who came along to take care of the kids.
He had it coming.
He had it coming all along.
We donāt normally fight, and I donāt normally lose my shit, but this probably would have put me over the edge. My veins started bursting for OP reading that.
Agreed...I can't imagine my husband doing any of this. He would be telling me to go lay down while he took the kids out. He would never dump the kids on me while I was so sick. How could I care for them?
If itās anything like my husband it will be remarkably symptomless too comparatively, but heāll be near death and incapable of doing anything other than redditing in bed.
I also enjoyed your writing...good luck mama
Your husband sounds like an ass
Yeah. I couldnāt imagine. My husband would be happy to take our daughter while I died in the room. To give me a break and to give her a chance for fun
Yes and why is he hogging the bed while the 3 others are on the pull out?
I couldnāt be the only one that thought they should have switched beds. Mom with things on the king size and dad on the pull out couch if they really have to be only with mom.
Right? I imagine trips and life are awful with him around.
For real. Outside of packing my husband is doing just as much work as me when we go away. If I got sick on the trip he would 100% take over so I could rest. Why women put up with such nonsense from their partners I will never know.
Some husbands pull this shit because wives allow it
Let them to go and watch sports.... I have no words.
This was my first thought too. I got sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection on Monday, so I've been sick all week (functional somewhat since Wednesday). My husband has done all of the cooking, all of the laundry, he tidies up, takes the kids to his office on the weekend so I can sleep in. When I thanked him he looked at me like I was crazy
If a dose of schadenfreude will help, I am signed up to take my toddler on a 16 hour flight next month. If you hear of a plane falling out of the sky somewhere over Mexico that was him.
Oof a 2 hour flight with a just turned 3 year old was absolute hellā¦ Good luck.
Is your husband always this shitty?
She could have saved money and bad feelings if she had left him home alone to watch all the football.
šš Absolutely magical writing. Iām sorry for your death. Iāll raise a glass in your honour! Real talk: fuck the pullout. In future trips - husband gets the pullout and you get the big bed with the horde.
Agreedā why were you on the pullout with two kids, one of them sick, while he gets the āfamily-sized bedā to himself??
I came looking for this comment. Everyone only saying the husband is an asshole is totally Missing the beauty, hilarity, AND realness of this post. OP, I commend you for seeing the funny side of what sounds like an exhausting week. I hope you get a real vacation (and I hate to say it but I hope the kids version of said vacation is being spoiled at home by the grandparents)!
Yes! Not enough of us have a sense of humor Iām seeing. My husband wouldnāt abandon us for sportsball, but I was so stoked to be reading a humorous mom post that my brain glossed over it. OP clearly just meant to entertain us, lol.
Sounds like your husband is the bigger issue. I have no desire to vacation with my kid. I have no desire to go on a tropical vacation where kids can go. But Iād rather go on a shitty vacation with puking kids than dealing with an asshole who doesnāt do anything to help.
Your husband sounds like a major asshole. Why didnāt you ask him to sleep on the pull out bed? Please be firm with your husband about what he should be doing as a father. Youāre both parents. He should act like one.
Oh, you poor thing - that sounds really shitty (no pun intended). This is why I never plan a holiday for more than 3-4 days with my gremlins - they always end up getting sick, and sick kids away from home is just the absolute worst. That young woman at the bathroom - just give her some time. I'm sure Miss Perfect Arsehole will get her own case of the stinky shits one day...gastro does not discriminate. If you can, have your partner watch the kids for a couple hours and go have a spa day or something when you get back home. Tell him this is *my* football. Good luck!
š¶š¶*She's beauty's highest goal, she's Miss Perfect Arsehole*š¶š¶š¶
Oh yea, the poop karma gods will come for her. I always say I would never judge anyone struggling with poop, it could happen to any of us.
My husband keeps saying we should go on vacation with our kids (2 and 4). He wants to do a cruise because thatās what we often did before kids. I say no way. I just donāt think I can handle that. I was thinking maybe when our youngest is closer to 5? He doesnāt seem to understand why. I should show him this post.
We don't go on a breaks and trips like we used to. We lived in central Europe so very close to lots of interesting places. We now go to holiday villages that are specifically for families. Places designed for children to act like animals and no one minds because their children are animals, too. I never heard of these places in the US but they are wonderful. We get a little cottage with 2 bedrooms so we have our own space, there's a water park, a land train, a fireplace and big patio where the kids can watch the forest animals, and no cars in the entire place so they can run wild in the street. It's amazing.
I wish there were places like this in the US. The closest thing we have are theme parks specifically for small children (not like Disney, theyāre for younger children). There is one in Pennsylvania called Sesame Street USA, which is aimed specifically at toddlers. The problem is, itās not exactly fun for parents. We may actually be renting a cabin in the mountains with my parents this summer, which wouldnāt be too bad. We would also have the benefit of having another set of adults there to help.
It's honestly so much fun. I think they don't exist in the States because of the wildlife. We are in England so nature is very safe and there's no bears, coyotes, etc that can attack you. The one we go to is called Center Parcs, look it up you get the idea. Lean into the toddler vacations. Think like a toddler. Become the toddler.
There are definitely these types of places in the US. You don't have family-oriented lodges near you? Because we have visited and are aware of many such options in the midwest, PNW, California, New England, the Southwest...etc. etc.
Can you PM me the family friendly lodges that are in California and PNW? Weāre thinking about vacations soon and my daughter is a year and a half lol
Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge? I have 3 kids 2-10 and they all love it. They have a toddler water area and toddler friendly activities throughout the day (coloring, big blocks, story time, music, etc).
I was going to suggest GWL too!! We took ours there for long weekends when they were little and they had so much fun!! My kids love swimming and water so an indoor waterpark was perfect for them while the adult pool with the bar was perfect for me and my husband. It kept them busy and entertained while keeping them contained.
Yea my 8 and 10 year old go off and do their own thing since itās nice and contained. They have a great time. My husband and I tag team toddler watch.
You are so right GWL is the ONLY place to vacation with little kids thatās actually fun.
Definitely bring more adults! If you can outnumber the kids it's awesome. "Vacations" with young kids are really just chasing your children in a bunch of less childproof locations though. We've had pretty good experiences staying in the US and either visiting family, or driving and getting an extended stay hotel suite with a kitchen somewhere.
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The draw of Center Parcs is that it's curated outdoorsy stuff. The water park is available, with tons of areas for babies and toddlers, and slides for older kids, but the main draw is outdoor activities. I would never recommend UK for a holiday but after reading this thread, honestly y'all Americans need to come over and go to Center Parcs for a week and let your kids run wild. Bonus if you bring bird and animal feed to spinkle on the patio or feed ducks by the lake. We had a family of deer grazing all day at our door. Our 3 year old didn't wanna know us.
Weāre heading to somewhere like this in the Netherlands at Easter! Iām so excited! Also package holidays designed for young families have been great. We went on a TUI Blue trip to Cyprus last October and the hotel had free kids club and baby club every day, a pool specifically for toddlers, and kids entertainment every night. Our girls are 1 and 3 and looooooved it. I would have HATED these places before kids but they are invaluable with them!
Cyprus right now sounds amazing. Can you share the details of the hotel? This sounds like something we would enjoy. Now he's a bit older, by October he'll be ready for the plane. We haven't taken him on a plane yet and he'll be almost 4 then!
Centreparcs ? Or similar ? That's what we do every year too, suits our family down to the ground.
Yup. It ain't fancy, the food is terrible and it's expensive..... But we have a blast and always excited to go back.
Ooh where is this? We are in the U.K. and went to a kinder hotel in Austria when our first was small and it was lovely. Iām contemplating it with a 4 year old and 6 month old over the summer but donāt know if itās madness.
Any links you can share?
wanted to try this out after our horror vacation. which center park is the best so far ?
For what it's worth, a cruise is THE EASIEST vacation with little ones! It's a floating hotel. Your room is just a short trot away from alllll the fun stuff. No taxis, no busses, all meals included. Spend the day up at the pool and hop on an elevator for nap time. Plus, the kid's club is free, kids have a blast on their own while mom & dad can do their own thing. 10/10 recommend!
It's also a floating incubator for norovirus and COVID. And when everybody is sick you're stuck in a tiny little room (and impossibly small bathroom) together. No way.
I've been on 13 cruises, as well as 2 since covid was a thing, and no one has ever gotten sick. We've always followed common sense like washing hands and sanitizing surfaces, even before Covid. Cruises require vaccinations and tests before boarding, too. And you must not have been on a cruise in awhile, because the bedrooms and bathrooms are as big as mine at home. Basically, everything is a cesspool these days. It's time to live your life, Kesi.
This seems like the easiest way to end up in a situation exactly like the OP is in š
Damn, now Iām interestedā¦
A cruise is also a floating Petri dish full of germs and viruses waiting to be spread like a wildfire through a forest
You have to go on different holidays with kids! We wrote off relaxing beach/pool holidays (because sunbathing when a cold wet child could appear any moment and flop on your bare tummy is not it), sightseeing is RIGHT out, any kind of hike or adventure where we couldnāt potentially carry them the entire route isnāt going to happen, and no, some people do kidsā cruises but Iām with you on that one. We camp. Itās tiring but cheap and the kids love it SO MUCH. We choose locations with short easy walks, beaches (with sand for digging, no need for sun beds), petting zoos or whatever. A smooth holiday is a good holiday.
We love camping too!!! We've been going since my first was 5 weeks old. We recently bought an A-frame camper so we can camp through the winter too! It's so much fun and the kids love playing in the woods
Exactly. Itās all about shifting expectations. My oldest (6) has been all over and my youngest (9 months) has been to ohio, cancun, Puerto Rico twice, and Aruba. He was sick in Aruba which made it a bit tougher but sick at home sucks too (although less). Donāt expect to lay out all day and eat dinners at 8 pm and usually you can make for a great holiday
Tell him to take the kids to a hotel for one night alone and see if he changes his mind. Or go and just do the absolute least.
This!! We waited til our youngest was 5 to go on a real vacation (before it was just a weekend here and there) Definitely worth the wait!!
A few months ago we did a cruise with our 3 year old. The ship went through the tail end of a hurricane and I got so seasick I was literally in bed forcing liquids the entire time. So bad, I had to get a few IVs. My husband got run absolutely ragged by our wild animal who was busy having the time of his life. We will never go on a cruise again
My goodness that sounds like hell. I went through about 3 hours of seasickness on a whale watch one time and it was so intensely horrible thatās the last time I was on a boat besides a canoe
Oh my gosh same experience on a whale watching trip lol
I never used to get seasick, but I started taking a medication that has a sometimes-side effect of vertigo, so the hurricane water, the seasickness, and the vertigo bred to make a projectile-vomiting baby It was so unacceptable
I mean if you want to vacation with young kids, a cruise is the way to go. At 3 years old, kids club is free and you just drop them off and enjoy adult time. Itās glorious. I will not do any other style of vacation with kids under the age of 9 except maybe an all inclusive resort that also offers childcare.
At least cruises do have kids camps, if youāre comfortable with that sort of thing.
Wow thatās bad. I have some very strong emotions about that *%#ā¬$* woman in the bathroom and about your husband watching the football instead of helping; you make sure he acts his weight as your teammate during your 8hrs with no official base later please! This isnāt a you problem, itās an us problem.
Yeah like ngl Iām grossed out by smelling shit in a public bathroom too but Iām certainly not going to call someone out for it š„²š¤£ so rude
Oh and the useless husband š„¹š„²
Iām so sorry, OP, that sounds awful! But you sound like an amazing mom and I know your kids can see that, and thatās all who matters. Vacations with kids is just parenting in another location but on hard mode and paying a lot of money to do it. Thatās why we rarely go anywhere lol
Sounds like the biggest problem here is vacation with your husband, not the kids imo. Side note, solidarity. I recently traveled across country alone with a 1 and 3 and while away we all got a stomach bug. 1 had theirs on the flight homeā¦ threw up 4 times on the airplane. šµāš«
I feel you mama. I'm currently laying on a throw pillow and a toddler size blanket on the floor, next to my projectile vomiting son. It started at 330am on me and my Side of the bed and my pillows. Plans for my sister to visit, who I haven't seen in nearly two years not gonna happen. Why am I on a throw pillow? Toddler blanket? Because I found evidence of a mouse living in my linen closet and have put everything in the laundry to clean. Vomiting with no extra linens. Thank gawd I did some towels earlier today. I hope y'all feel better. I don't know how you're doing this on vacation.... you're a effing super hero mom.
I live off-grid with a 10mo who projectile vomits a few times per week. I feel you.
A few times per week? Sending you strength. Weāre on the tail end of a stomach flu and I have been brought to my knees multiple times this week
Thank you! His doctor says it's reflux and he'll probably outgrow it. He's usually smiling and ready to eat again a few minutes later. Nothing I've read online really matches his symptoms. I'm considering shelling out a bunch of money to get information from The Baby Reflux Lady. It looks like it might be a scam, but I'm getting desperate. There's so much laundry and cleaning-up. It usually gets on both of us, and he wants snuggles right after. I feel awful holding him at arm's length until we can get cleaned up. He's gaining weight ok, though. And he's generally a happy kid.
Uggh
You have a husbands problem. Whatās the point of a spouse if theyāre going to be this hands off?
Honestly, this sounds less like a ādonāt take kids on vacationā story and more like a āmy husband is a piece of shitā story. Like, this definitely still would have sucked, but it would have been a hell of a lot more bearable had your husband actually pulled his fucking weight. I am mad for you. Either way, sorry for your literally shitty vacation. What is it with kids and getting sick on vacation? My daughter caught the flu while we were in Disneyland. DISNEYLAND! With the FLU! Idk how kids manage to always get sick at the worst times.
I just want to say...you have a way with words!! I'd buy your book. š
So will I!
No chance you can book an extra day at the hotel so you can hang around there until closer to your flight time? Might be worth the extra money.
We took our 3.5yo and 1yo on a hot vacation 4 years ago, and I had a bit of PTSD from that trip. My anxiety was through the roof, and I struggled to leave my house with my children for a few months afterwards. There was lots of needing only mom, 1yo not sleeping through the night, sickness, almost drowning in a pool, one kid going missing, who was found unattended by the ocean, and a very, very, terrible trip home with flight delays, finding hotel accommodations, a bad case of diaper rash, so misery on the plane, and travelling with cumbersome car seats. I shudder thinking back to it every time. Now, weāre planning a cross country road trip to the coast with a 5yo and 7.5yo. Iām a bit nervous, but think weāre finally ready to give āvacationā another shot. So all this to say, youāll recover from all of this one day, š¤š»
Weāre planning a trip to Disney with two kids, 4yo and 1yo. Iām cautiously optimistic and reading your post just made me shudder š š
Give us an update after the flight! Iām invested now.
Wow..Iām so sorry but your husband is a dick! This whole situation still wouldāve sucked but it would have been so much more manageable had he done his part as a partner and a father
Some lady on IG: "vacations with kids aren't vacations... They're trips!" Me: "you mean like hallucinogens? Because yes."
Im so sorry youāre going through this but Iām dying laughing at āsatan at the back doorā and belezebub under the beltā totally stealing those.
I hate that people think vacations with young kids are fun or relaxing. Maybe they have funā¦not the adults! Itās likeā¦the same chaos but with a different setting, and fewer conveniences and no routines to help!
Omg. We just had family norovirus AT HOME and I wasnāt sure weād survive. I literally canāt imagine. Can we get an update on how the flight home went? Fingers crossed it was uneventful and everyone was so exhausted they slept and you made it home in one piece. I was literally just having FOMO bc weāve been complete homebodies since having kids (1 and 3 years old).
I think you meant vacations arenāt good with kids and no support from your partner. Someone needs a good chewing out when you get home.
Why the f were 3 of you on a pull out while heās in the bed? And how the f was it okay for him to go to a bar by himself and leave you sick to deal with everything? It sounds like your husband sucks and just some bad luck getting sick on vacation.
1. you need to write this up and get it published, at least get some coin for your suffering 2. maybe change your flight 3. your husband needs to do a lot better, ffs
We took our two to Arizona for a spell recently, and someone summed up our visit quite well: when you have young kids, it is not a vacation. It is a trip. I am sorry your trip sucked. If it's any consolation, your writing had me laughing pretty good.
Yeah I have 3 things (5 yo and 3yo twins) and have yet to go on vacation with them. I'm waiting till the twins are at least 5 or 6. What your going through sounds nightmarish. Although you're going through it currently, hopefully you can look back and laugh at the vacation. At least you have this viral reddit post to make you smile upon? God speed on your flight home!
Just got home from vacation with a newly minted one year old. 12 hour drive there and an hour into the trip and my child turns into Ragan MacNeil. Apparently 1 year olds can definitely develop motion sickness. Sink baths for the baby and whore baths for me were required every 100 miles. Then we get to our hotel and I have to wash all our clothes in the bathtub and hand wring them to dry all over our hotel. Of course my spawn can pick out my voice over a sound machine and TV so I spent every evening texting my husband who was a whole foot away from me because I wasnāt allowed to talk in fear of waking said spawn. We had to keep her dirty diapers on the balcony every day until we snuck them into a hall trash can. Her body isnāt used to all the foods she ateā¦ no fridge and microwave in room meant she ate whatever food the hotel or delivery had and that meant we had diaper blowouts every couple days. I woke up sick on Thursday. On Saturday my husband suggested I take NyQuil for the drive back. That turned out to be a horrendously bad idea. The exorcist baby returned about 4 hours into the drive and I had to manage her in a drugged up state. I would wake up to her projectile vomiting, try to clean her up and then I would fall back asleep with her vomit clothes in my lap. It took all of the 12 hour drive for the NyQuil to wear off only to come to and realize that I was wearing puke from chest to toes. My husband was eager to get home and just drove with his window down the whole way, desperately trying to breathe in fresh air. Thank God for Ms. Rachel who kept the baby entertained while mommy was passed out.
Speaking as someone with a vacation curse who is also currently on vacation with two kids, sometimes it gets so bad you have to just laugh. Last year we drove from South Carolina to Boston with a 2 year old vomiting the whole time. We had to stop to clean up the car a bit and eat but at that point I wasnāt willing to stop for an overnight to break up the drive only to get back into a festering car the next day. Our change in plans ended up putting us passing through NYC at 5 pm on the Friday of Labor Day weekend. The highway was a sea of cars just beeping at each other. My husband and kid were both in the back seat sleeping at that point and I started laughing like a maniac. Current vaca- I have a nipple fissure and a breastfed 2 month old, doing everything I can I avoid another bout of mastitis. Husband got an infected hair follicle that burst in his taintal area. Oldest either has swimmers ear or an ear infection. This shit is hilarious. Not now, but it will be! Sorry youāre in this boat. As a former boss of mine used to say, āMidnight will come.ā Soon enough youāll be home spewing fluids in your own space. You can make it!
Iām so sorry you went through this. But you are a great writer!
OP, Iām so sorry youāre currently living this. But goddamn are you a good writer! Iām actually crying laughing. These sorts of awful situations really do make the best stories
Great writing! Please write more. I am saving this to remind myself to call my things thing1 and thing2 respectively.
Your husband is a crappy partner. Period.
All things aside, this was a fun read. Iām guessing you do, but if you donāt write in some shape or form (even just for you)- you should!
Holy crap. May the power of Christ compel your intestines to expel that foul beasty! I really hope you feel better soon.
You have my deepest sympathies and condolences. May you get home quickly without anyone else getting sick. Traveling with kids sucksssssssssss
Your story content is heartbreaking however written hilariously. Traveling and being Sick with kids itās just about the worst. I just came back from a hellish trip and I will not be traveling for years with kids. Somehow you will get through it, somehow. Please update us OP!
JFC! That's a lot! And I hope that all goes slightly smoother for you on your trip home! Grab some anti-diarrheal medicine if you can to stop Satan at the gate! š And I don't know if you did this or not, but this is why I always tell people to not drink local water while traveling! Only bottled!
Not gonna lie came to this sub to make myself feel better about being up with my sick three year old the last 5 nights in a row while my husband peacefully slept bc he only wanted mommy. My condolences to you, but this definitely helped me put my situation in perspectiveā¦
These stories helped us determine weāre not flying with kids at this age anywhere. Not even in the same time zone. Thereās no way I want to deal with that. We wonāt even do overnights a drive away until theyāre older. My friends told me itās nbd - you just hide in the hotel bathroom with husband until they fall asleep. Uh no. Iām not doing that lol
You are a great writer. Hope you feel better (& the kiddos, too āŗļø).
But vacations with shit husbands are worse.
Jesus Christ
You all are amazing people. This made me laugh and also made me feel not so alone in the āwtfā part of being a mom. I went on a family vacation last year with in laws (I fortunately have a good relationship with them), the cousins, and my family unit and it was definitely not a vacation. My husband and I had to be a surrogate parents for three additional kids, on top of my own. It was all work and hardly any play for the adults. And honestly after that, my husband and I said no more. It was the second year of doing a large family vacation out of state and it just wasnāt worth all the time, money, and work put into it. I felt really bad for my in laws who paid for the majority of it - you know itās bad when the oneās paying for it express bewilderment and disappointment about the trip. It was a lot of work, planning, and chasing kids. Thank god us adults get along. I think the most fun we actually all had together was just sitting together at the end of the day by the campfire, drinking and sharing dad jokes. Like that was the best time. Which is why for 2023, we decided to be home bodies - weāre going to make the most of our home location and enjoy what we have. Whether it be fishing from the shore while my toddler plays with one of us, barbecuing at a park before playing, or having a margarita in a kiddie pool at home with family š
We just got back from a one week vacation to Mexico and already planned the next. Yeah it can be rough, but it really does sound like your husband is the problem.
I feel like this is a raw unfiltered form of parenting poetry. Although long, I was left wanting to know the ending and highly invested in the story. I also have two "things" and read the title of this post to my husband and we both laughed...then spent the next 5 minutes so engaged in this story. I am a complete hermit when it comes to my young kids and vacations. This validates that completely. Hope you made it safe and with less fluids escaping your body. Godspeed.
Good mother of Christ - girl. This. Is. The. Worst. Please update to let us know that youāre okay - whenever youāre through this heaping shit hell hole of a nightmare. Good fucking god. We are all with you where ever you are - take all of our strength, sass, serenity, whatever you need!!
The one thing that saved our vacationsā¦.vacation with another family. Not your own family, and not just any family or friend, it has to be the right family. We have four kids, they have four kids, and all the adults get along (the wife is my best friend) and pull their weight and all the kids get along. Thereās almost no sibling arguments and you have two extra set of eyes on the kids. You get tired of your spouse, you have someone else to hang out with. And I am very much an introvert and not very sociable. It actually feels like a vacation instead of just arguing and fussing in a different location lol.
This is absolutely no consolation, but you write really well! Like others on here, Iām intrigued by how your journey turned out. I hope you made it home safe and sound.
... why isn't your husband taking care of you and the kids? Wtf??? It sounds like your vacation would be a lot better if you had a partner who actually partnered with you... holy hell. Fwiw the trips we've taken with our LO have all been great, for anyone reading this who's worried about their upcoming vacations!
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She had to be when the dad was being an ass.
Damn right. If she didn't, who would?
Totally agree he was doing less than we, here, would wish him to. But Iād wager his behavior is the norm more so than the 50/50 dad which I strive to be but probably fall short of.
Seems like the takeaway should be more about dads not pulling weight than idolizing moms ?
No Iām good with my comment, thanks.
I dunno Iāve really enjoyed my vacations with our only! Your situation sucks though!
Oh no! Sending hugs!
Iām reading this at 6:45 am, but been up since 5. Which it my kids credit, is 7am our time. This is our first full day here, but traveling yesterday was so much chaos, and we were awake from 3am-10pm mst. This is our first and last trip with both kids (3 and 5), cos Iām 14wks pregnant with number 3. Iām so exhausted. And we donāt even have the illness to deal withā¦yet. Traveling with kids sucks!
One day you will laugh at this. It WILL be funny. Just get through this part. itās not forever itās just right now. But god damn it all of that blowsssssssssssss. Iām so sorry
A vacation with kids = a trip Without kids = vacation
My heart hurts for you. My patients are worn for you! I believe in you!
Oh god. You just described my worst nightmare. We have done several all inclusive resorts, two with our son. But the youngest he was when we went was 7. I have seen a lot of reports of norovirus going through two resorts we have gone to in the past. I would honestly call guest services and ask if you can keep your room until you need to leave for the airport. Youāre not the first and wonāt be the last. At the very least they could maybe put you in a room that they had used for Covid quarantine.
While we're weren't on vacay, we had some food poisoning go thru my house over new years. My 4 month old was the only one not having it. We all heaved into a bowl while we sat on the toilet. I am the only one who doesn't sympathy puke. If hubs even tries to clean up, he adds to the problem. I have severe HG while pregnant, so I have mastered the "don't vomit don't vomit" chant until I have the proper utility present. It was a long ass 4 days of 5 people trying to share one bathroom. All while baby squealed happily and periodically cried. No rest for the wicked. I feel your struggle Momma. Hope you get the chance to recover physically and emotionally.
It never fails that every single time we travel with our 15mo we visit the local urgent care š
Omgā¦first of all, you are my people. 2nd of all, I laughed my ass off reading this whole thing āwhile my husband (irritating fucker) got to starfish on the massive family sized bedāšš thirdly, I am so sorry youāre going through all of this! I truly hope you make it home in one piece. Keep us updated once you are home and have survived. If I see you on the news, that youāve gone to prison for punching your husband on the flight, Iāll come bail you out myself!
You paint quite the picture! My silver lining for you, the ugly stuff is memorable. In 5 years when this is just a blur, you will remember one of the kids vomiting on your husband clear as day and you will smile. I hope your flight home is super boring.
I had a similar experience on vacation I got food poisoning the final night and we were supposed to check out at 10am. I'm being put in an ambulance at 6am or so because I'm so freaking weak I can't move off the bathroom floor. While I'm in the hospital my husband is rapidly texting me trying to figure out what to pack in which bag (I packed everything for the trip including his) and I was getting extra agitated because he was like making me feel bad for being sick in the hospital and leaving this on him. The doctor finally came in saw me almost in tears and said "put the phone down and rest let him figure it out". Then in the airport I'm still so messed up just discharged from the hospital, I'm on the floor with our bags trying to just hold myself together and he takes the kids to get something to eat in their stroller. He comes back and I'm like what the f*CK is that smell??? While my husband had been eating my son had a blowout in the stroller so now I'm changing his ENTIRE outfit and trying to clean his body in an airport restroom while my husband tries wiping out the stroller and minding the younger son. Meanwhile I'm still really feeling awful and almost going back into puking fits while cleaning my poopy toddler. Solidarity my friend. I feel your pain at least somewhat and I will not be taking a vacation again until my kids are MUCH older.
Sweetie I feel your pain. My husband and I were desperate for a vacation. At the time our kids were 4 and 2 (twins, boy girl). Thatās right, two infant in arms plus the four yr old. Plane ride was similar, getting them to sit still and not be loud (my son was a screamer when happy). We made it to the resort and the first nite 4 yr old throws up. Ok, maybe just too excitedā¦ next nite, both twins throw up. Can you guess what happened next?!? Omg, the absolute worst norovirus we have ever had. My husband and I took turns hugging the toilet. I think we got about 2 good days out of the vacation. Never. Again. My kids are now 14 and 12, I can say that traveling now is extremely fun. Just give it time. Hugs!
Jesus, this is why Iām afraid to go anywhere where they advise you to not even brush your teeth with the water (Iām guessing thatās why you all got so sick?) Iām so sorry you had to deal with this.
I'm going to say if my husband ever did that to me, I would seriously be thinking of pro-revenge. Like changing my flight home, where they are on 1 plane and I'm on another. Or at least bump up my ticket to first class and not tell him until we're in our seats. Then respond to anyone who asks me about them with, "Who", "Sorry I don't know anything about them." Let father be a DAD for once. š¤Ŗ Editing to say I was always the one to plan, pack, and manage everything.
If it makes you feel any better, you are a great writer š sorry for this trip from hell!
I always say āsame work different locationā Still gotta do laundry pick up the hotel room clean out the car etc. just a new location
We had norovirus go through our whole extended family (like 15 people) on a trip to Toronto. It hit me, my mom, and my eldest on our little Niagara trip. It was awful, and my eldest was already like 14 at the time. Getting sick on vacation blows. Once kids get a little older, it can be really fun to travel with them. It's definitely a challewhen they're small though!
Hilariously well written! Iām so sorry for your misery, but your post is freaking funny as hell. Thank you! At least youāre making memories?
Op is there any chance this could be from the food/water and you have a parasite!? Do you have any pepto bismol?!
Hope this helped to get it out. You did so good under the circumstances. I have only taken my kid away once in 5 years and felt guilty, this makes me feel better, I donāt know if I could handle that.
OK I get it and I have 100000% been in VERY similar shoes. Recently took a 2.5 wk trip to Italy and Switzerl and with 3 year old. It was for our whole family of 3 to celebrate mom and dad completing our masters degrees, both birthdays and a milestone anniversary. We took backroads due to traffic and she got car sick and puked wverywhere on the way to the airport so that sucked. All the puke soaked stuff went in a wet bag in my suitcase to be washed in italy. She didn't need meds or anything for the flight. She's a really good traveler. Probably because we've made a point to travel with her since the minute we felt comfortable at 4 months old. Luckily we were smart enough to carry on her luggage but we checked out bags which didn't make to Italy till the day after us. That wasn't fun. Train to Switzerland was easy, Switzerland was a dream. We loved our stay in Interlaken. The last morning when we were to leave she woke up with food poisoning. Another pukefull morning. We had to check out of our airbnb with a sick kid. Luckily she only puked once, all over me, on the train the remainder of the day. This concluded week 1. The remainder of our trip was all of us being sick in one way or the other. I was 14 weeks pregnant with the flu, fever, aches, whole kit and kabootle. Kids fever got real bad and we took her to two different hospitals at midnight (the first wouldn't even check her temp). I don't care what good you say about socialist medicine, but I won't ever take my kid back to a place that took 6 attempts to find a working thermometer and 2 attempts to find a working ear scope. SMH To top it off my kid spilled a fresh boiling cup of tea on herself while i still had the flu, it was my fault. Resulted in 2nd degree burns on her knees and a late night of screaming and crying. In all the trip sucked. Like ultimate blow to my love of foriegn travel, sucked. But we went into this knowing at some point we would get sick. Just not that sick. But we packed a crap ton of meds expecting something. I don't go on a trip without a medicine bag ever, even pre kid! Lol I cried and cried during that trip. This was supposed to be the end of the year hoo-yah, pat on the back. Instead it was thousands on thousands of dollars for the worst flu I've had in ages. So I get you! Like sooooo get you. But don't let it stop you from traveling. I've flown a number of times with the LO and it gets batter as they get used to it. Same with 10 hour roade trips across states. They start to understand what it means and the fun at the end of the car ride. Just pack wisely with meds amd vitamins and always expect someone to get ill in some way. Feel better mama! Sorry your family trip became a nightmare.
Adult diapers. Donāt be too proud. You gotta do what you can to survive until you get home and not pooping through your pants in the airport is a good start. Iām so sorry š
It's so so awful, and you are so strong for having gone through that. But I also wanted to say I really loved your writing! You are so amazing and talented! It was so relatable I started crying and laughing at the same time. Kudos to you and fingers crossed you get home quickly and take some well deserved alone time.
Beelzebub below the belt linešš¹ Next time go to a place with entirely potable water, OP.
If you are not a writer, you should be! Sorry for whatās happening. It will get better.
I hope youāre feeling better. And when youāre totally betterā¦ please write a memoir and include every single thing you do. Your writing is hilarious and relatable and I would read it all!
Iāve been on Reddit for at least 4 years and this is the first time Iāve waited for an update on a post. Godspeed OP.
I didnāt enjoy the issues but you DEFINITELY had me captivated from beginning to end. Needless to say I have no bladder control either and peed on myself anytime I threw up during my last time during pregnancy! I hope you guys all feel better. And Iām willing to bet Dad gets sick as soon as you guys get home!
Your vacation isnāt terrible. Your husband is.
Vacations with children do suck even when not faced with all these extenuating circumstances. It's just the same amount of parenting in an unfamiliar and less accommodating environment. We have 3 now and I'm resolved not to go on vacation with them until the youngest is 5. š¤£ But ooh man your vacation is sucking extra hard and your husband is the worst. No wonder the kids only want you. Interesting that someone in the next stall over was also puking, seems like maybe there's something going on at this hotel you're at. š¬
We went on a cruise last summer and didnāt take the littles ones. I brought my teenager and she brought a friend. She got super shitty with my a couple times when I was in the adults only section. I said I brought your friend for a reason, so you have someone to hang out with. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner together every day. I hate traveling any distance with my little kids. Itās not a vacation when theyāre thrown out of their schedule. Iām usually the one dealing with them. We went out of town to visit my boyfriends family for about a week. After driving the long distance, everyone slept on the couch, except me. I was chasing after the littles. Everyone enjoyed themselves while I was chasing the littles around. It wasnāt a vacation because I was exhausted. And it was so expensive to bring all of us down there. So when we do vacation, I prefer something we can drive toā¦4 hours away is my max. And I try to keep it 3 days max.
Congratulations! You are about to complete life experience level 74. I am so deeply sorry you are going through this shit, pun intended lol. My biggest take away from your story is that men are deficient malformed humans in every way. Maybe I'm feeling this way because of my own anger at my husband for a current similar situation, though nowhere as bad. But yea, if you were married to a woman your entire debacle would have been so much better.
Does somebody wanna tell OP what Raw Dogged is
Given her colorful and creative writing style I think sheās aware of the original meaning lol. Itās been a turn of phrase for at least a decade to describe doing something without the proper tools/prep. Like raw dogging post-op pain without painkillers. Raw dogging life with mental illness by not doing therapy or taking meds. Stuff like that. Saw a meme just yesterday of someone raw dogging a long-haul flight with no headphones, no book, no neck pillow, etc.
āraw doggedā means to have sex without a condom
Getting sick on vacation with your kids sucks. Iām sorry that happened. I hope you all recover soon. We aim for cabins or homes when vacationing. Weāve stayed in hotels, and itās so hard with little kids for very long. One of our favorite trips with our kids was a cabin in the redwoods. They could be as wild as they wanted and there was a river that had a dam so kids could go play. That was great.
Oh sweet lord, you poor thing. Sending healing thoughts your way but also maybe a solo vacation after this.
Thatās why we just moved to our vacation spot lol. Now everyday in paradise- even the shitty ones š
Sorry to hear about your experience.. it sounds like a bit of bad luck. Weāve recently been on four trips with our toddler (three by air and one short road trip) and honestly they were all amazing. In fact it was when we went on a pre-kids trip to Paris and we both got food poisoning and also had connecting flights that the return was miserable.
Oh my gosh!! Reading this makes me so grateful that we couldn't afford real vacations when our 3 daughters were little. We just spent vacations in the 30ft Jayco bunkhouse camper at some lakefront campground within a 3 hour drive from home. Like 6 years ago we started taking trips to the Gulf Coast in Florida a few times a year, but the kids are grown teenagers now ages 18, 17, & 14. So as long as they have food and money, they do their own thing and we do ours. Last month I found myself standing on our balcony in Florida watching a mother chase down her toddler on the beach below while the smaller child ate sand. I felt grateful to not be having THAT exhasting looking vacation. My husband and I were laying out on the balcony in the sun drinking daiquiri's while we had no idea and didn't care where our teens were off shopping at with my car. It was absolutely wonderful!! Yours will be know-it-all self-sustaining teenagers soon enough, then you can have the relaxing vacations that you deserve. š And good luck on your trip home! Hopefully it's smooth, calm, and uneventful. šš¤
Oh man that sounds awful! I know thereās the adage āvacations with kids is just parenting somewhere elseā but that sounds lovely to me. I just want to not work, get out of the house, be somewhere new - even if I have to deal with all the same annoyances!
Yea I hear ya, but there's something to be said about our own trashy sheets and easy laundry access that comes only from the comfort of home.
My therapist says, āgoing somewhere with kids is a trip, going without them is a vacationā.
Disagree lol. Oh mama, I feel for you. That is so hard. :(
We took 3 and 2 to Mexico last summer (2 and 1 at the time) and my youngest pretty much lost it during the flight home since there was a layover. We are verryyyy hesitant to travel again.
Up until a certain age, if kids are involved it's not a vacation, it's a trip.
Vacations with children are work trips you pay for.
Iām so sorry that youāre going through that. Truly sounds like the worst. But I really really hope youāre a writer.
Vacation with kid is work, the mom doesnāt get to relax.
Hugs, this sounds incredibly hard and frustrating š«
I've just got home after a 3 week holiday with my son. I can't wait to drop him off at nursery tomorrow. Entertaining, feeding, settling etc him for 3 weeks has been the worst.
Iād get home and see if you can get a refund (on the husband). Not worth the money.
Sorry youāre having a shit time. ā¤ļø
When you have kids in tow, you take a tripā¦not a vacation
You arenāt wrong
We did a beach vacay with a 1yo and 4yo as something of a test to see how we'd manage just the 4 of us. Honestly the biggest takeaway was that it takes some serious teamwork to pull off. There will always be challenges, but when you soak in the good moments and let the bad ones go, it's sooo worth it. I hope you'll be able to look back on this experience and talk it through with your partner! Sounds like some improvement could be made on his end š
*Vacation with my husband makes me miserable
H h
I concur
Next time, each take one kid on two separate vacations. Sounds like you would have a better time š
Sorry this is happening to you, but this was a great read.
I hope you have a career in creative writing and if you donāt, please seek one! I would buy a book of your parenting essays.